Constipation is a common complaint, usually caused by diet and lifestyle. Eating certain foods can help increase the frequency of bowel movements. Constipation is defined by the medical profession as reduced or difficult bowel movements.
People with constipation may have:
- Stools that are hard, dry, or lumpy
- Stools look like small stones or marbles
- Pain and discomfort during bowel movements
- Feeling of inability to completely empty stools
- Loss of appetite due to following reasons and a constant feeling of fullness
- Mild swelling of the abdomen
- After cleaning, a person may also notice a small bright red blood in the stool or on the toilet paper.
Common Causes of Constipation
To understand how to prevent constipation, it helps to understand the causes of constipation. When food passes through your colon, your body will absorb water and the rest will form stool. Your muscles move it through the colon to the rectum and then through it. When this movement slows down, your colon will absorb too much water. Stools become dry and difficult to pass, causing constipation.
This problem often occurs due to a low-fibre or high-fat diet, lack of exercise, and not drinking enough fluids. Certain medications (not given when you feel you need it), laxative abuse, and pregnancy can also cause constipation.
Symptoms of Constipation
The main symptoms of constipation are:
- Difficulty defecation
- Forced defecation
- Less frequent bowel movements
- Lumpy, dry or hard stools
Other symptoms contain:
- Abdominal pain and cramps
- Feeling puffy
- Sickness and Loss of appetite
Fibre helps relieve constipation.
If your bowel habits slow down, you do not have to rush to buy laxatives. Most people do not need them to treat mild constipation. Instead, pay attention to your diet. Fibre is a part of plant foods that the human body cannot break down. When you eat foods that are high in content, the extra bulk helps keep your stool soft and speed up digestion.
All plant foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes, contain fibre. The Nutrition and Diet Society recommends 25 grams per day for women and 38 grams for men maximum. After age 50, we need less fibre, about 21 grams for women and 30 grams for men. Unfortunately, most of us only eat about 15 grams a day, which may help explain why so many people suffer from constipation.
Drink plenty of water
You should drink water and other liquids, such as naturally sugared fruit and vegetable juices and soups, to help fibre work well. This change should make your stool softer and easier to pass.
Drinking sufficient water and other liquids is also a good way to avoid dehydration. Staying hydrated is good for your overall health and can help you avoid constipation. Based on your size, health, activity level, and place of residence, ask a healthcare professional how much fluid you should drink each day.
Simple changes can improve your diet and help relieve constipation:
- Add vegetables- You do not have to count the grams of fibre to get the amount you need. Instead, try to eat 2 cups of fruit and 2 and half cups of vegetables every day. Grilled vegetable sandwiches and salads to your meal instead of fries, buy pre-cut vegetables as low-fat dips as snacks, fill the fruit bowl to get useful and healthy snacks, and add chopped dried fruits Oatmeal and oatmeal. .
- Choose grain- Use whole wheat bread, whole-wheat pasta, and brown rice instead of white bread, white rice, and regular pasta. Eat more whole oats, multigrain cereals and whole-wheat biscuits, but be sure to choose low fat and low-sugar foods. Use air popcorn instead of potato chips. When buying oatmeal, choose a brand that contains at least 5 grams of fibre per serving.
- Increase the volume of beans- Replace meat with a bowl of beans or legumes at least once or twice a week. Add cooked beans to salads and try bean soups and casseroles as main dishes.
- Gradually add fibre- Slowly change over a week or so. If you increase fibre too fast, you may end up feeling bloated and gassy. Please be patient, it may take a while for your body to adapt.
- Consider supplementing fibre- If you cannot get enough fibre in your diet, supplements may help. Also called bulk laxatives, they are generally safe. Be sure to consult your doctor before use, as they may invalidate some medicines.
- Stay hydrated- If you add more fibre to your diet through food or supplements, be sure to drink plenty of water. Choose low-calorie or no-calorie drinks, sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit drinks will add extra calories you do not need.
- We all have different bowel habits, but people with constipation generally defecate less than 3 times a week.
Foods That Can Help Prevent Constipation
For many people, eating more foods high in fibre can help relieve constipation. These foods include:
- Most vegetables, including carrots, peas, broccoli, and okra
- Fruits, including apples, pears, berries, avocados, and oranges
- Whole grains, such as whole oats, buckwheat, and millet
- Black bread, wheat pasta, and rice
Relieve and Prevent Constipation
One of the healthiest steps you can take is to first choose foods that can relieve or prevent constipation. You may have switched to foods that relieve constipation, such as bran cereal or prune juice. However, if you do not have symptoms of constipation, you do not need to wait until you start eating healthier.
Now you can relieve or prevent constipation by using the right constipation diet. Follow these dietary precautions.
Dos for Constipation
- Drink lots of water. Drinking the recommended eight glasses of water a day helps soften the stool and facilitate excretion. Fortunato says that drinking the right amount of fluids can also help stool pass out of the colon.
- Eat fresh and dried fruits. Fruits, especially dried fruits, are rich in fibre and are one of the foods that help relieve constipation. Together with water, fibre helps stool have the right consistency for easy passage. Fruit choices suitable for a constipation diet are raisins, plums, figs, bananas, apples and applesauce.
- Put vegetables on your plate. Vegetables are also rich in fibre, which can help prevent constipation. Raw pinto beans, legumes, salads and vegetables are rich in fibre and are excellent choices for relieving and preventing constipation.
- Fill fibre with whole grains. Look for whole wheat bread, oatmeal, ground flaxseed, barley and wheat bran cereals. Your goal should be to consume up to 35 grams of fibre per day, and one ounce of wheat bran cereal can provide 10 grams of fibre.
Don’t for Constipation
- Trusting processed food. Processed foods do not contain a lot of fiber. Eating too much can cause constipation; eating with natural foods such as fruits and vegetables is better than taking meals and snacks from a box or bag.
- Drinking coffee or caffeinated beverages throughout the day. Caffeine is a stimulant, so it will trigger a bowel movement. However, it can also cause dehydration, which can have the opposite effect and cause constipation, Fortunato explained.
- Overdone with dairy products. Fortunato said that dairy products themselves may not cause constipation, but the lactose in dairy products will produce gas, making you uncomfortable if you are already full. In addition, cheese-rich foods are rarely part of a balanced diet, so be sure to get the recommended three daily servings of dairy products from healthy, low-fat sources such as skimmed milk and yogurt.
- Excessive drinking like caffeine, alcohol can dehydrate you and cause constipation. Limiting alcohol intake can help relieve constipation.
Conclusion
The causes of constipation vary from person to person. For some people, a low fiber diet can cause or aggravate constipation. In this case, eating more fruits and vegetables and staying hydrated can help.
For others, food allergies and intolerances can cause or aggravate constipation. Finding out the cause of constipation can help these people determine which foods to avoid.